I hope everyone is enjoying sunshine, blue skies and above average temperatures at least as much as I am. Today we finished the paperwork on our 2022 taxes, so that’s done. We visited one of our favorite independent book stores this morning and I proved sometimes I can behave myself. I still have a stack of books from Christmas that I haven’t read so no additions to that stack today.
Valentine’s cards and gifts are, I think, taken care of. Tomorrow we’ll visit our son for awhile. For a change, I’m feeling as if I might be holding my own. We’ll see come Wednesday morning if I’ve been too optimistic. Meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy watching snow and ice melt and flow away.
Last night’s clear sky allowed viewing some stars, which I hadn’t done for some time. The fact that the moon is no longer as bright and full as it was helped, although it was bright and beautiful in this morning’s sky.
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| Kinnickinnic upstream of River Falls
Photo by J. Harrington
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For the past year or so, I’ve been involved with the Twin Cities chapter of Trout Unlimited helping to raise funds to restore the Kinnickinnic River from River Falls downstream by first determining the feasibility of getting Corps of Engineers funding to facilitate removal of two dams and then undertaking restoration of the river and its environments at the former impoundments and downstream toward the St. Croix. The latest chapter newsletter has a story by the chapter president with links to some recent articles explaining what’s involved and an invitation to participate in a silent auction fund raiser. Please take a look at the excerpt below and consider bidding or making a donation.
This is a big year for the Kinni. You may have read about the progress we have made in removing the dams and restoring the riparian corridor in Trout Magazine and Fly Fisherman. Locally, the River Falls Reader featured an in-depth article in January .
Last summer, the Wisconsin DNR made a $1 million award for the Kinni dam removal. This spring, the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) will commence a feasibility study that could unlock an additional $10 million in federal funding. Donations by TCTU members in 2022 provided critical seed money to obtain the WI DNR grant and to get the COE feasibility study going. We have a bit more money to raise to support the feasibility study and we hope to finish by the time the Spring Caddis hatch starts!
You can help by:
Making a donation by credit card or check.
Participating in our Silent Auction. We are offering a limited number of items contributed by TU members who care deeply about the Kinni. The auction is live now, and will end on March 15th.
Attending the River Falls Fly Fishing Film Festival on March 3rd. Tickets are available here. A share of the proceeds will help fund the feasibility study.
If you are interested in more information on the Kinni, please check out the Kinni pageof our website. This is a once in a generation opportunity to restore an iconic trout stream in our backyard, and I appreciate your support!
Last year ArtReach St. Croix published a chapbook of poems by local poets of the St. Croix valley. If you follow the preceding link and scroll to page number 20 [not the 20th page], you’ll find today’s poem. It’s about a trip down the Kinni.
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Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.
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